“And don’t you go in there, Professor, to find out unless you have some one at the top with a rope to get you out,” warned Tinny.
“I’ll be careful,” was the promise. “I’d like to go in there to-morrow.”
Hang Gow had a good, though late, supper ready for the boys, and, Bob said, “they stepped on it!”
Echo Canyon was a good place to keep out of, the lads voted, and they spent most of the following day resting after their strenuous excursion.
Meanwhile the financial and business end of the venture had been arranged and Tinny was losing no time getting Leftover in workable shape. Men and supplies, as well as mining material, gave promise of results soon, and the boys were eager for their first sight of the yellow metal from the mine of which they were part owners.
Contrary to expectations, Noddy Nixon was neither seen nor heard of, nor was either of his cronies in evidence. The bully seemed to have dropped out of sight after arriving at Livingston.
As a matter of fact, the Motor Boys were too busy to think much about Noddy, for now that the mine would soon be turning out ore which would have to be sent to the stamping mill, they were kept busy.
Instead of going too deeply into the venture at first, Tinny and his young partners had decided to have their ore treated and the gold extracted by another and larger mining concern near by. If they erected a stamping mill, in which the rock would be pulverized and the gold extracted by one of several processes, it would mean the expenditure of a small fortune, and only by selling stock could this be financed. But with the money the Motor Boys’ parents had secured and authorized them to invest, ore could be got out and sent to a stamp mill where the precious gold would be extracted on a percentage basis.
It took rather longer than the boys had thought to start the actual work of mining. Shacks had to be erected to house the miners and arrangements made for feeding them. Even the employment of a comparatively small force was a lot of work.
But Tinny knew his business, and, with Bill Cromley to help, matters were soon in good shape.